I-5 still closed, businesses slump as Delta Fire burns

A roughly 45-mile section of Interstate 5 – the main artery between Northern California and the Oregon border – will remain closed indefinitely as firefighters continue to battle a wildfire burning along both sides of the freeway north of Redding, authorities said Friday.

Officials closed the freeway Wednesday afternoon shortly after the Delta Fire broke out in the Shastatrinity National Forest, burning over the tops of pine and fir trees along the roadway and forcing some to abandon their vehicles to escape the flames.

The blaze had consumed 24,558 acres by Friday morning and is still actively burning along the interstate. It is not clear when the road will reopen, according to Capt. Brandon Vaccaro, a fire spokesman.

On Wednesday, California Highway Patrol officers had to send cars and trucks through a 12-foot gap in the I-5 center median designed for emergency vehicles. Many were able to turn around and escape the flames, but about 17 semis were abandoned by drivers who couldn’t maneuver their trucks out in time. At least four of the trucks were burned.

“It wasn’t like it was a couple hundred feet from the freeway. It was right on top of the freeway,” Sgt. Tim Hinkson of the California Highway Patrol said of the fire.

California Department of Transportation workers have cleaned up scorched semi trucks and other debris scattered along the road. Crews also are removing trees that burned in the area.

“The freeway itself is actually looking pretty decent, but we need to get the fire cleaned up that’s directly adjacent to it,” Vaccaro said.